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John and Marcos support each other, they watch each other’s backs when Lorna is taken. Even before then, they were more than friends, more than allies. But when Marcos comes back from his talk with the cartel, he isn’t really there. “What happened?” “Nothing.” He won’t look John in the eye, won’t talk to him. It almost seems like he’s avoiding him.
~
Lorna comes home, and Marcos smiles again. And then one day, he just stops.
~
John investigates further. Marcos finally tells him it’s Carmen; she’s running the cartel.
~
Marcos keeps disappearing. Soon enough, John figures out that Marcos is still working for the cartel, for Carmen.
~
He follows him, one night. Marcos receives a call, slips out after dark. John trails him, cautious. He knows Marcos won’t like the invasion of privacy, but he has to know what’s upsetting his boyfriend so much.
Marcos drives to a veritable mansion, lights bright at the windows. He walks to the front door, head down, and knocks. A tall latino man answers, letting Marcos pass before closing and locking the door. John parks, stepping out of the car. “What the hell?”, John mutters. He creeps closer, watching for any guards. He hears a noise from the upstairs window. He stops, listens. “Carmen, please. Don’t.” It’s Marcos. “I helped you free your little whore. Now it’s your turn to help me.” Whooshing, a back hitting a bed. “Mmph!” John stops listening, stops waiting. It is pure instinct when he climbs the wall and vaults through the window. Marcos is laying on the bed, naked. Carmen is above him, also naked. Both turn to him, startled by his sudden appearance.
“Marcos, are you alright?”
He nods, frozen.
“John-“
“Let’s go, we’ll talk about this later.”
Marcos nods, biting his lip. He maneuvers around Carmen, who is still frozen in shock, and pulls on his clothes. She registers this, turning to face him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“With me.”
John nudges him towards the window.
“John-“
“Now. You can explain later, Ya’ii.”
“Ya’ii? Wait... But you left me for her!”
Marcos climbs out the window.
“No. He left you for me.” John stares at her, deep into her eyes. And then he leaps backwards out the window.
~
They take separate cars back to HQ.
“Marcos. Tell me what happened.”
“Do you remember when Sentinel took Lorna?”
“Yeah.”
“We had to get her back. As quickly as possible.”
“And you went to the cartel.”
Marcos nods.
“To Carmen. She told me- she told me the price was me. To get Lorna back, the price was me.”
“Ya’ii.”
Marcos pulls in a breathe, lets it out.
“That was the first time. She had me come back. She- she used me. Over and over and over. And you- you were always there, and I just, I didn’t want to put this on you. You had enough to deal with without me making it worse.”
“Marcos, I will always have time for you. You know that.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you use your power? You’re stronger than her, Marcos.”
“She said she’d turn us in if I didn’t do everything she asked.”
Marcos frowns.
“She still might. I have to go back!”
“Marcos. Stop. She can’t turn us in without exposing herself to the Feds.”
“But- No! That can’t be right!”
“If she contacted Sentinel, they would wiretap her calls, just like they do with anyone else associated with us. Once Sentinel found out she’s running a cartel, it wouldn’t take long for them to pass it along.”
Marcos sags against him.
“Then-then it was all for nothing.” His voice fades to a whisper. “But-“
“It’s alright. You did what you thought you had to. It’s over.”
And part that, at least, was.